Screening adulteration of polypropylene bottles with postconsumer recycled plastics for oral drug package by near-infrared spectroscopy

Adulteration of pharmaceutical packaging containers with postconsumer recycled plastic materials was considerably difficult to identify due to the similar chemical compositions of virgin and recycled plastics. In the present study, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with conformity test was proposed to screen the adulteration of pharmaceutical packaging containers. Two kinds of representative screening models were investigated on polypropylene (PP) bottles for oral drug package. The reliability of the screening models was validated through studying the identification reliability, specificity, and robustness of the methods. The minimum spiking level of two modeled adulterants at the proportion of 20% could be detected, and the unqualified sample from a domestic manufacturer was rejected by this developed method. This strategy represents a rapid and promising analytical method for screening the adulteration of pharmaceutical plastic packaging containers with postconsumer recycled plastics.     

Comparative real-time characterization of frother bubble thin films

Methylisobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and methoxy polypropylene glycol (Dowfroth 250) bubble thin films were characterized by composition and thickness determinations, using FT-IR spectroscopy and UV-visible spectrophotometry, respectively. The infrared investigation indicates that the role of frother molecules in creating bubble thin films is based on their effectiveness in inducing H-bonding reorganization of the surrounding free water molecules into a coherent network. From UV-visible interference patterns, it is found that MIBC forms films with a measured critical end thickness of less than 160 nm, compared to 612+/-30 nm for Dowfroth 250. The observed values of the free water layer thickness are comparable at 5.65+/-0.28 microm for MIBC and 6.75+/-0.34 microm for Dowfroth 250. A higher stability of an MIBC bubble over a Dowfroth 250 bubble is related to the different polarization and orientation of the molecules sustaining the boundary surface water network. The findings are used to explain the different action and associated froth characteristics of the two common industrial frothing agents.     

Fast capillary GC using a low thermal mass column oven for the determination of residual solvents in pharmaceuticals

A low thermal mass column oven was used for fast capillary GC analysis (high throughput) of residual solvents in pharmaceutical products. A dedicated capillary column, 20 m L x 180 microm ID x 1 microm DB-624 was programmed from 35 degrees C (30 s) to 150 degrees C at 100 degrees C/min and to 250 degrees C (30 s) at 200 degrees C/min, resulting in a total GC cycle time of less than 4 min. Complete separation of a target 20-component mixture was achieved, while method performance in terms of repeatability, sensitivity, and linearity was maintained in comparison to the generic method currently applied in our laboratories.     

Degradation of polymer mixtures. IV. Blends of poly(vinyl acetate) with poly(vinyl chloride) and other chlorine-containing polymers

The degradation of the binary polymer blends, poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(vinylidene chloride) and poly(vinyl acetate)/polychloroprene has been studied by using thermal volatilization analysis, thermogravimetry, evolved gas analysis for hydrogen chloride and acetic acid, and spectroscopic methods. For the first two systems named, strong interaction occurs in the degrading blend, but the polychloroprene blends showed no indication of interaction. In the PVA/PVC and PVA/PVDC blends, hydrogen chloride from the chlorinated polymer causes substantial acceleration in the deacetylation of PVA. Acetic acid from PVA destabilizes PVC but has little effect in the case of PVDC because of the widely differing degradation temperatures of PVA and PVDC. The presence of hydrogen chloride during the degradation of PVA results in the formation of longer conjugated sequences, and the regression in sequence length at high extents of deacetylation found for PVA degraded alone is not observed.     

Phosphorus‐containing polyamide Mg(OH)2 nanocomposite coating on surface of poly(vinyl chloride) thin film: Study on thermal stability,flammability, and mechanical properties

Surface of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) thin films was coated using DOPO‐based polyamide (DBPA) coating and DBPA/Mg(OH)₂ nanocomposites (DBPN) coating by dip‐coating process. For this purpose, a new DOPO‐based dicarboxylic acid (DBDA) was synthesized and used for preparation of DBPA and organically surface modification of Mg(OH)₂ nanoparticles. The effects of DBPA and DBPN coatings on the morphology, thermal stability, combustion, and mechanical properties of PVC were investigated. The uniform dispersion of Mg(OH)₂ nanoparticles (nano‐MDH) and organically coating manner on the surface of the PVC films were confirmed by ATR‐IR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray, and elemental mapping. From thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) results, the 10 mass% loss temperature (T₁₀) increased from 268°C to 272°C in PVC coated with DBPA‐containing 10 mass% of modified Mg(OH)₂ (MMH). Also the char residue, first and second mass loss temperatures of all PVC coated were increased compared with the neat PVC film. According to microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) results, the peak of heat release rate (pHHR) and total heat release (THR) were decreased from 128 ± 2 to 69 W/g and 12 ± 1 to 4 ± 2 KJ/g for PVC film coated with DBPA‐containing 10 mass% of MMH, compared with the neat PVC. From tensile test results, tensile strength was increased from 31.78 ± 0.8 to 39.64 ± 0.9 MPa for PVC coated with polyamide‐containing 5 mass% of MMH compared with the neat PVC.     

Voltammetric identification of insulin and its analogues using glassy carbon electrodes modified with polyarylenephthalides

Using chemometrics, we developed a voltammetric method for the identification and discrimination of pharmaceuticals containing insulin and its analogues from various manufacturers. Their electrochemical behavior on glassy carbon electrodes modified with polyarylenephthalide films is studied; analytical characteristics are evaluated; and the optimal conditions for recording the analytical signal and the nature of electrode processes are determined. Some examples of the voltammetric identification and recognition of pharmaceutical products containing insulin are given.     

Expanding the analytical toolbox for identity testing of pharmaceutical ingredients: Spectroscopic screening of dextrose using portable Raman and near infrared spectrometers

In the pharmaceutical industry, dextrose is used as an active ingredient in parenteral solutions and as an inactive ingredient (excipient) in tablets and capsules. In order to address the need for more sophisticated analytical techniques, we report our efforts to develop enhanced identification methods to screen pharmaceutical ingredients at risk for adulteration or substitution using field-deployable spectroscopic screening. In this paper, we report our results for a study designed to evaluate the performance of field-deployable Raman and near infrared (NIR) methods to identify dextrose samples. We report a comparison of the sensitivity of the spectroscopic screening methods against current compendial identification tests that rely largely on a colorimetric assay. Our findings indicate that NIR and Raman spectroscopy are both able to distinguish dextrose by hydration state and from other sugar substitutes with 100% accuracy for all methods tested including spectral correlation based library methods, principal component analysis and classification methods.     

扫描电子显微镜-能谱联用在鉴别药包材上的应用

开发了一种以扫描电子显微镜-能谱联用为主的药用包装材料鉴别手段. 通过扫描电子显微镜-能谱联用,联合红外分光光度计和差示扫描量热仪,对未知成分的胶塞和复合膜进行了分析鉴别,并对厚度进行了测定. 通过分析鉴别,胶塞为覆有乙烯-四氟乙烯共聚物膜的溴化丁基胶塞,覆膜厚度约为24 μm,复合膜为聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯/低密度聚乙烯/铝/低密度聚乙烯复合膜,厚度分别约为38、19、13、14 μm. 扫描电子显微镜-能谱联用技术可以确定未知化合物的元素组成和比例,可以解决传统鉴别手段在鉴别未知物时所遇到的瓶颈,极大地提高了鉴别效率和准确度,为鉴别药用包装材料提供了一种全新的思路.     

Highly porous solid-phase microextraction fiber coating based on poly(ethylene glycol)-modified ormosils synthesized by sol-gel technology

The preparation and characteristics of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers coated with Carbowax 20M ormosil (organically modified silica) are described here. Raw fused silica fibers were coated with Carbowax 20M-modified silica using sol-gel process. Scanning electron micrographs of fibers revealed a highly porous, sponge-like coating with an average thickness of (8 +/- 1) microm. The sol-gel Carbowax fibers were compared to commercial fibers coated with 100 microm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 65 microm Carbowax-divinylbenzene (DVB). Shorter equilibrium times were possible with the sol-gel Carbowax fiber: for headspace extraction of the test analytes, they ranged from less than 3 min for benzene to 15 min for o-xylene. Extraction efficiencies of the sol-gel Carbowax fiber were superior to those of conventional fibers: for o-xylene, the extracted masses were 230 and 540% of that obtained with 100 microm PDMS and 65 microm Carbowax-DVB fibers, respectively.     

Gas chromatographic analysis of capsaicin in Gochujang

A sensitive, precise, and specific gas chromatographic (GC) method was developed for the analysis of capsaicin in Gochujang and validated by comparing with a column high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method (AOAC 995.03). The method validation parameters yielded good results, including linearity, precision, accuracy, and recovery. The GC separation was performed on a (5% phenyl)-methylpolysiloxane column [length 30 m, internal diameter (id) 250 microm, film thickness 0.25 microm] followed by flame ionization detection. The conditions of temperature programming were initially 220 degrees C for 1 min, ramp at 5 degrees C/min to 270 degrees C, and hold for 10 min. The recovery of capsaicin in Gochujang was more than 92%, and the detection limit and lower determination limit of the GC analysis were 1.0 and 5.0 microg/g, respectively. The calibration graph for capsaicin was linear from 1 to 250 microg/mL for GC and 0.5 to 50 microg/mL for HPLC. The interday and intraday precisions (relative standard deviations) were <4.02%.     

Optimization of the thickness of a conducting polymer, polyaniline, deposited on the surface of poly(vinyl chloride) membranes: a new way to improve their potentiometric response

Repeated depositions of polyaniline (PANI) have been used to control the thickness of the polymeric film deposited on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane surface. The oxidation of aniline was carried out in a dispersion mode, i.e. in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Two kinds of PVC were used for this purpose: a non-plasticized PVC for the study of PANI deposition and PVC, plasticized with nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE), as a prototype of a liquid membrane electrode. The results of UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopies and electron microscopy showed that (1) the film thickness increased by about equal increments of ∼40 nm after each polymerization, and (2) the interface with PVC was constituted by PANI film and adhering PANI-PVP colloidal particles.The various thicknesses of the deposited PANI films affected the potentiometric response of the NPOE/PVC membrane with and without an anion-exchanger. The potentiometric anionic response was observed with a minimal thickness of PANI film on the blank NPOE/PVC membrane. Sensitivity of the PANI film to pH occurred only with a blank NPOE/PVC membrane coated with a thick polymeric film, while it was strongly suppressed by the presence of a lipophilic anion-exchanger, tridodecylmethylammonium chloride (TDDMACl), in the membrane, regardless of the thickness of the polymer film. The thickness of the PANI film did not affect the anionic selectivity pattern of TDDMACl-based membranes to any great extent, but its presence improved and stabilized their potentiometric characteristics (sensitivity, linear-response range).     

Development and validation of a method for active drug identification and content determination of ranitidine in pharmaceutical products using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy: a parametric release approach

In this paper we describe the strategy used in the development and validation of a near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy method for identification and quantification of ranitidine in pharmaceutical products (granulates, cores and coated tablets) at-line, with a fiber optic probe. This method was developed in a pharmaceutical industry for routine application, to replace reference methods and was submitted and approved to the National Medicine Regulatory Agency (Infarmed). We consider that this is the first step of a broader parametric release approach to pharmaceutical products.     

Comparison of near infrared and microwave resonance sensors for at-line moisture determination in powders and tablets

In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of replacing KF for water content testing in bulk powders and tablets with at-line near infrared (NIR) or microwave resonance (MR) methods. Accurate NIR and MR prediction models were developed with a minimalistic approach to calibration. The NIR method can accurately predict water content in bulk powders in the range of 0.5-5% w/w. Results from this method were compared to a MR method. We demonstrated excellent agreement of both NIR and MR methods for powders vs. the reference KF method. These methods are applicable to in-process control or quality control environments. One of the aims of this study was to determine if a calibration developed for a particular product could be used to predict the water content of another product (with related composition) but containing a different active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). We demonstrated that, contrary to the NIR method, a general MR method can be used to predict water content in two different types of blends. Finally, we demonstrated that a MR method can be developed for at-line moisture determination in tablets.     

Facile measurement of polymer film thickness ranging from nanometer to micrometer scale using atomic force microscopy

As many properties of polymer thin films critically depend on their thickness, a convenient and cost‐effective method for precise measurement of film thickness in a wide range is highly desirable. Here, we present a method which enables polymer film thickness, ranging from nanometer to micrometer scale, to be facilely determined by measuring the height of an artificially created film step on smooth substrates with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Three polymeric films (polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(styrene–ethylene/butylene–styrene) films), spin‐coated on either mica or quartz substrate with thickness ranging from 5.7 nm to 4.4 µm, were employed to demonstrate the procedure and feasibility of our method. The proposed method is particularly suitable for thicker polymer films, thus complementing the traditional AFM ‘tip‐scratch’ method which is generally limited to polymer films of no more than 100 nm thickness. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solution decomposition of poly(vinylidene chloride): Effect of solvent and evolved HCl

The effect of HCl on the rate of thermal decomposition of poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC) in nitrobenzene solution was measured with the object of determining the catalytic activity of HCl. Unlike those reports dealing with PVC decompositions, this study shows that in the absence of a cocatalyst, molecular HCl does not catalyze the decomposition of PVDC. In the presence of metals which can react with HCl to form Lewis acids (e.g., Fe⁰), a strong accelerating effect was observed. The uncatalyzed reaction shows a large rate increase with increasing polarity of the solvent, suggesting that in nitrobenzene the decomposition is mainly heterolytic in nature.     

Properties of nitrocellulose‐coated and polyethylene‐laminated chitosan and whey films

Chitosan (chitosan acetic acid salt) and whey (65% protein) films were coated with a nitrocellulose lacquer or laminated with polyethylene to enhance their water resistance and gas barrier properties in humid environments. The barrier properties were measured by the Cobb₆₀ test and water‐vapor (100% relative humidity) transmission and oxygen (90% relative humidity) permeability tests. Mechanical properties were obtained with tensile tests. Packaging properties were studied with crease and folding tests. The Cobb₆₀ test revealed that the coated films were resistant to liquid water, at least for a short exposure time, if the coating thickness was at least 10–17 μm. Water‐vapor transmission rates comparable to those of polyethylene‐laminated films were obtained for coated chitosan at a coating thickness of 5–7 μm. The coated films possessed low oxygen permeability despite the high humidity. Coated films dried for 3 weeks showed oxygen permeabilities at 90% relative humidity that were similar to values for dry ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol at 0% relative humidity. The lacquer partly penetrated the whey films, and this led to excellent adhesion but poor lacquer toughness. The lacquer coating on chitosan was tougher, and it was possible to fold these films 90° without the coating fracturing if the coating thickness was small. The coated whey films were readily creasable. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 985–992, 2001     

Preparation of a transparent thin-film photocatalyst for elimination of VOC

A transparent and highly porous thin-film photocatalyst was prepared using the dipcoating method with the thermal decomposition of titanium alkoxide complex. The photocatalyst film obtained was formed with aggregated nano-sized TiO₂ single anatase crystals, and this film had a large surface area. Film thickness was 0.2–4.4 μm. A thick film (about 4.4 μm thickness) was also transparent. The average specific surface area of the film was ca. 70 m²/g. The crystalline phase of TiO₂ was anatase alone for calcinations over 400°C. The photocatalytic ability of the films was almost equal to the same weight of P25 on coated glass plates. The films decomposed 100 ppm of toluene and p-xylene (using a 1-1 size batch-type photo-reactor).     

In-line determination of the thickness of UV-cured coatings on polymer films by NIR spectroscopy

We report on the development of a measuring method based on near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which is able to determine the thickness of UV-cured coatings and which can be used for in-line monitoring in technical coating processes. In particular, acrylate coatings, which were applied to transparent polymer films with a typical thickness of 5–35 μm, were investigated. NIR spectra were recorded in transflection mode. Quantitative analysis of the spectral data was carried out with partial least square (PLS) regression. In-line measurements were performed on a pilot-scale roll coating machine at web speeds up to 50 m/min. It was shown that quantitative data with excellent precision (i.e. with a standard deviation lower than ±1 μm) and high time resolution (2.5 spectra/s) can be obtained.     

Evaluation of co-polyaniline nanocomposite thin films as humidity sensor

Spin coated films of Co-Polyaniline nanocomposite are evaluated for their transmission properties using He-Ne laser for humidity sensing. The thickness (17-29 microm) of the films is varied by multiple deposition of Co-Polyaniline nanocomposite on a glass substrate. The samples exhibit typically two to three regions in their sensitivity curve when tested in the relative humidity (RH) range of 20-95%. The sensitivity ranges from 0.1 mV/%RH to 12.26 mV/%RH for lower to higher thickness. The sensors show quick response of 8s (20-95%RH), and a recovery time of 1 min (95-20%RH) with good repeatability, reproducibility and low hysteresis effect. The sensitivity of the sensor increases with humidity and thickness. Material characterization is done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR).     

反相离子对色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定聚氯乙烯塑料中六价铬

称取经粉碎研磨的聚氯乙烯(PVC)塑料样品(2.500 0g),加入碱性提取剂(每升溶液中含20.0g氢氧化钠和30.0g无水碳酸钠)50mL和pH 7.0的磷酸盐缓冲溶液0.5mL,再加入0.4g无水氯化镁和2滴辛基苯基聚氧乙烯醚进行微波消解提取,所得提取液经减压过滤,收集滤液和洗涤液。调节此溶液的pH至7.5±0.5,并用水定容至100.0mL,经0.45μm滤膜过滤,取滤液供反相离子对色谱-电感耦合等离子体质谱法分析。选用XTerra-C18反相色谱柱作为固定相,流动相为2mmol·L^-1四正丁基硫酸氢铵溶液(此溶液每升中含甲醇50mL,并调节pH至7.0),流量为1.0mL·min^-1,进行等度洗脱。在此条件下,Cr(Ⅲ)与Cr(Ⅵ)可按其保留时间的不同达到很好分离,Cr(Ⅲ)与Cr(Ⅵ)的保留时间分别为1.732,4.966min。质谱测定中采用单氦气碰撞反应模式消除多原子离子的干扰。Cr(Ⅵ)的质量浓度在0.50~200μg·L^-1内与其对应的峰面积呈线性关系,检出限(3S/N)为0.10μg·L^-1。应用此方法分析PVC标准物质[RMA 034,其中Cr(Ⅵ)的认定值为(9.3±0.9)mg·kg^-1],Cr(Ⅵ)的测定值为9.19mg·kg^-1,其相对标准偏差(n=6)为2.2%,还用此方法分析了3种PVC的日常用品,并用标准加入法进行回收试验,测得回收率为94.2%~101%。